Coming Home
by I've Been Soniced
Summary: AU: Will and Gabi have a kid and get married at the age of 18, they move away from Salem, for reasons, and attempt to live the rest of their lives together. But five years later Will returns back to town with his daughter...alone. He meets Sonny who makes him feel...something.
1. Chapter 1

Will drove his car slowly, it was dark and drizzling lightly, the road ahead was soaking wet, harshly reflecting the light form other cars back into hiss eyes making him squint against them. His daughter was sound asleep in the back seat clutching to her chest a teddy bear she had since the day she was born, Will smiled and made sure he didn't drive over any pot holes, he didn't want to wake her so late, at least not then, when they still had a far way to go and so much to do. Will wasn't sure where he _was_ going though, it had been such a long time since he had been back in town, everything seemed different, especially in the dark. He let his car cruise through the wet streets wondering what to do next.

He parked his car and checked his cell phone, it was eleven, late but not _that_ late. Across from where he parked was a building lit up bright, _'a café'_, thought Will. The rain picked up, the small platters increased their pace, from a drizzle to a light shower. Will looked at his daughter sleeping soundly in the back seat, he thought about it, but a painful pang of hunger and a quick inventory of everything he had to do made up his mind. He got out of his car, absently wished he had an umbrella or a hoodie, he unstrapped his daughter and then made a run for it.

Will banged through the front door and stopped dead in his tracks. A man stood there, surprised, the broom he'd been using fell to the ground clattering loudly, his daughter flinched in his arms.

Will's eyes blew wide, he was beyond embarrassed, "I'm so sorry are you closed," he let his eyes roam around the empty building, chairs had been turned up and were now sitting atop the tables, the man just stood there attempting to recover from his fright, "of course your closed its late, oh my god, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to scare you I'll just," Will tried to turn around and run.

"No," said the man, he walked up to Will, "It's okay I just closed the door a few minutes ago but if you want something I'm more than happy to get it for you."

Will wasn't sure why, but a deep blush spread across his face, "Uhh, thanks, I—can I get a hot chocolate and a coffee to go."

"Of course, but if you want to stay you can," Will was going to protest when his daughter whined. He shushed her and tried to get her to fall asleep but she didn't, wouldn't was more like it.

"Daddy," she said quietly, "I have to pee."

Will looked at the man who was desperately trying not to laugh, he pointed behind him towards a hall way and Will sent a silent thank you to the man before he carried his daughter to the bathrooms.

Sonny waited for the man and his daughter to finish their business. He had been trying to close up the shop early to get home since he also had to open the next day. When the man burst through the door Sonny flinched, he was sure he was about to get robbed, but then he noticed a young man soaking wet with a small child in his arms, and eyes so blue Sonny thought he was dreaming. The way he stammered and blushed might have been the most adorable thing Sonny had seen in a long time.

Sonny could stay open just a few minutes more.

Sonny turned when he heard the bathroom door opening and closing. A little girl all dressed in blue overalls and a pink shirt walked out on small feet, she wiped away at her sleep crusted eyes, her father was behind her looking sheepish and shy.

"Hi," said the little girl, and Sonny felt his biological clock tick loudly somewhere in his chest. "Daddy said I could have a hot chocolate if I said _'please'_." The little girl smiled and her blue eyes shone with anticipation, this time Sonny did laugh.

"Of course, but only because your so polite." Sonny went to work on the hot chocolate. Steamed milk and real chocolate mixed together with a little water and some spices until it was delicious and savory.

"We're moving," said the little girl, "we had to get away from mommy and her—"

"Ari," interrupted the man, once again red in the face, "why don't you tell him about your uncle and aunts," the little girl then went into a long stammering speech about all the uncles and aunts she had and how much fun they were all going to have together.

Sonny placed a plate of cookies along with the hot chocolate in front of the little girl. The man looked apologetic but Sonny ignored him and instead paid full attention to the little girl. Behind him the coffee machine dispensed a new pot of strong coffee. Sonny watched as the man's face lit up, the smell alone was enough. Sonny poured a generous cup and slid it over to the blond who smiled shyly.

As the little girl spoke Sonny stole glances at her father who just stood at her side, he looked entirely too proud of his little girl, he really was adorable, thought Sonny.

"Thank you," said the little girl when she finished her cookies and chocolate. She turned to her father and raised her arms, the man lifted her up.

"We should go…" both men stood staring at each other, Sonny lost in the too blue eyes, Will lost in something he didn't quite understand. Will finally came to his sense, "what do I owe you?"

"…Well how about you just promise to get your coffee exclusively from here and nowhere else and…well, it'll be on the house,"

"You don't have to…But thanks," again a strange awkward silence settled between them when Will suddenly stuck out one of his hands, "I'm Will Horton…by the way. This little on is Arianna."

"Sonny Kiriakis," both men shook hands.

Will turned to leave but took one last look over his shoulder and at the man who stood there smiling warmly at him and Will couldn't help feeling that he was right to have come home.


	2. Chapter 2

Will tucked Arianna into bed and waited by her side until she finally fell asleep. Will knew how scary it was to sleep alone somewhere new. He let his eyes roam around her room, everything was as he asked it to be, the movers had done a great job. Will specifically told them to unpack and set up Arianna's things so she wouldn't have to sleep in an empty and scary room and they did it all. Will looked down at his daughters sleeping form and smiled gently, he didn't understand how something so amazing could come out of something so horrible, he shook his head to displace those thoughts.

Will thought back to his own childhood and what it had felt like. 'Coming home' had always meant a new bed, a new house, a new women or man in his parent's lives and never truly belonging to either of them. He swore that if he ever had kids that he would make them feel like they belonged, that they had a home, even if it changed occasionally. This was his chance, he was finally away, he finally might be able to live in peace, not have to worry about their safety, and to give his daughter the life she deserved.

Will walked down the stairs and into his living room where all his worldly positions sat packed tight inside boxes, sadly, there weren't many of them. The house had one giant living room as you walked in from the front door, an open floor pan led directly into the kitchen, the only thing separating the two rooms was a long bar that wrapped around the kitchen. The upstairs had four giant rooms, one master and three smaller ones. Arianna slept in the one closest to the master, of course.

Will sat back and realized that the house wasn't as big as he made it out to be, but to him it was massive, and all his.

He set to work opening boxes, it didn't take long to have them all opened and unpacked. He put the few meager plates and cups he owned in the kitchen, his clothes and bathroom stuff went in the master and the few other things he owned went in the living room. He stared at the bare room and realized that he was going to have to buy furniture, which was surreal, what kid his age bought furniture. He laughed and shook his head. He checked his watch, two a.m., and decided to go to bed.

Will set one foot on the bottom stair and then turned back. The living room was dark and mostly empty, he didn't even own a sofa, and yet Will felt like it was covered in shadows that stretched out towards him. He sighed, he checked the front door and made sure it was locked and latched, he checked every window, the back door, the basement door, and then everyone window upstairs, when that was done he went to bed, exhausted, as he drifted off he thought he smelled something familiar, the sweet smell of chocolate, he smiled as he drifted off.

Sonny yawned as he took all the chairs off the tables, they clattered loudly as he slammed them down on the shinning floor which still smelled like the lemon scented cleaner he'd used the night before. It was six fifty A.M. He opened at seven and Sonny couldn't keep his eyes open. He wished he could blame it on too little sleep, but mostly he just wasn't up for it, for the customers, the rush of rude people that always outnumbered the friendly ones.

He sighed as he went into the back room to grab more packets of every kind of sugar and coffee stirrers. It was only when he saw two empty mugs that he finally stopped and stared. He lifted the cup of hot chocolate and coffee and smiled, he shook his head and set the cups on a tray and took them to the back sinks.

His day was a bit easier after that, the morning rush didn't give him much time to think about how tired he felt, it been such a long time since he had allowed himself to feel any sort of joy, to allow himself some rest and fun. Sonny was pretty pathetic at the moment, in a dark patch, it happened, he just needed some time. Something his parents weren't willing to give him.

He wasn't surprised when he saw his father walk through the door around noon, which was usually the time he came to check on him.

"You're here again, doesn't the boss get any days off?" His father asked jokingly, except it wasn't a joke and Sonny was sick and tired of it.

"No dad, the boss doesn't get any days off. He has to work just like everybody else if he wants to get paid."

His father raised his hands in mock surrender, it would have made him smile before, instead it annoyed him beyond belief.

"Your mother and I are just worried about you,"

"I get that dad, really I do, but not for the right reasons—at least not mom," interrupted Sonny when he saw his father opening his mouth. "She doesn't care that I just went through a break up and I'm pretty sad about it. All she cares is that I lost 'the doctor', as if that mattered to me."

"Your mother only wants what's best for you," Justin Kiriakis knew too well how his wife could get, but he always felt the need to defend her, even if she _was_ in the wrong.

"What's best for me is what makes me happy and Brian wasn't doing that anymore, doesn't she understand that means more to me than whether or not I'm with a doctor." Sonny emphasized his anger by throwing a few mugs into the sink behind him and ignoring the way they clattered against each other.

His father only lifted his hands again and Sonny rolled his eyes, "listen dad if this is the only reason you came by here…well you can leave. I don't need this now."

"I know," said his father, "I just miss the way you used to smile."

"I'll get there again," said Sonny, "just give me some goddamn time."

Father and son lapsed into silence. It wasn't until they both lifted their eyes to peer at each other that they burst into laughter. Sonny shook his head but walked around the counter to hug his father.

"See," said the man smugly, "that's what I like to see."

"Out," said Sonny, smile firmly set on his face as he held the door open for his father, after Sonny couldn't seem to keep the smile off his face.

Will wasn't sure why, but he was nervous. He should be angry, furious, but instead he was anxious and kind of scared. His daughter was in the back seat watching everything that passed by them in a blur completely unaware of how unnerved her father was. He sighed but steeled himself when he saw that looming mansion come into view. He drove through the gate and all the way to the front door where he was greeted by someone who waited as he unstrapped his daughter from the backseat and then took his car with him to good knows where. Will knocked on the front door and waited.

It didn't take long for someone to answer it. He was lead into the foyer and asked to wait as he called for the master of the house; Will rolled his eyes but waited dutifully. His daughter looked around in awe she hadn't known that house could get so big, could have so much stuff inside them.

"William," he heard from the top of the stair case, Will turned to look and watched as EJ DeMira walked down the steps. "I didn't know—I mean what can I help you with."

Will looked at his mother's current partner, the father to his siblings, he looked different. Older of course, but also…subdued, Will could see it in his eyes.

"Yeah I moved back to town," Will wasn't sure what else to say. "Oh," he lifted his precious daughter into his arms, "this is Arianna."

EJ smiled and walked towards them, "Hello Arianna I'm EJ…I guess that makes me kind of like a grandfather." The look on EJ's face was priceless, it made Will smile wide.

"Will," he turned quickly and wasn't surprised to see his mother standing there, shock clear on her face. Before Will could respond he was assaulted by his brother and sisters who ran around their mother, they all cried for his attention and when Will presented his daughter they all focused on her. Will was glad, this was why he had brought her, so she would know that she had family, people who would lover her, protect her, look out for her, it was something he never had.

He didn't look at his mother who still hadn't found the strength to walk into the room or even speak. Instead, he hugged each of his siblings before answering all the questions they pelted him with, or circling around the ones he didn't want to answer. Will couldn't believe that his brother and sisters were almost teenagers now, five years was a long time apparently.

"What are you doing here?"

Will turned to look at his mother, she had an unreadable expression on her face, shock mixed with something Will didn't recognize.

"Why don't you take your niece out back to play while Will and his mother can get some time catch up," EJ told the children who didn't have to be told twice as they ran out the room and into the backyard.

They ended up sitting in the living room with a pot of hot tea sitting in front of them. Will brought the drink to his lips and took a sip. He couldn't help the way his face tightened; he hated tea, something about it made him nauseous.

"You still don't like tea huh?" His mother's attempt at breaking the silence, Will didn't really feel the need to answer that since it was apparently obvious that no, he still didn't like fucking tea.

"Why don't you tell us why you decided to finally come home? Is there something wrong? Do you need some help?" EJ seemed genuinely concerned, which was weird, having a wife and kids living with him seemed to have him completely neutered him. Having said that though, Will was glad he was there, it meant he wouldn't actually have to talk to his mother.

"Well, I bought a house here and I decided that the best thing for my daughter was to be around her family, especially after everything that happened."

"What happened?" asked his mother finally looking up.

"It doesn't matter, what matters is that I'm here, with Arianna, who deserves to be around people who will love her."

"I totally agree," said EJ, "I would have invited you to live with us if I knew you wanted to come back."

"That's kind of you," said Will reluctantly, "but I didn't come here just to let you know I was back. I kind of need a favor."

"Anything," said EJ.

"Do you, do both of you, think that you can watch Arianna for today, I think it'll be good for her to be with her uncle and nieces and you two of course. I also have a lot of stuff I need to handle in town and I can really use the help."

"Of course," said EJ, he wasn't going to wait for Sami to snap out of whatever stupor she seemed to have gotten herself into.

Will didn't wait much longer after that, he excused himself and went to find his daughter. He found her playing with his siblings, his brother stood by possessively and protective, Will never felt so proud of his family then. He called his daughter over.

"Hey sweetie I'm going to go for the day, your grandma and grandpa are going to watch you okay?" The little girl shook her head and smiled, she was so brave, unlike her father. "Okay, but hey, you have to listen to what they say okay?"

"Okay," said the little girl.

"Okay," said Will smiling. He stood and watched as his daughter ran back towards his sisters. His brother walked over to him, Will hugged him fiercely. "Watch her close okay," his brother rolled his eyes, he wasn't a kid anymore, _'yeah, yeah, yeah,_' thought Will as he walked away.

He was back in his car driving to town when the anxiety hit. He wondered whether his brother would _really_ watch her. Would he get distracted, bored, would he stop caring. Will realized that he would just have to trust them and that thought alone made him want to puke.

Hours later Will was done. He sat in Horton Square exhausted and starving wondering if there was anything left he had to do and deciding it was better to just go pick up his daughter and go home. And yet he couldn't seem to move, the day had been way too overwhelming and now he was literally spent. He groaned and finally, with herculean effort, he stood off the couch. He turned to walk away and crashed straight into somebody. He yelped and jumped backwards as hot coffee splashed against his torso and arms.

Whoever it was didn't stop walking, in fact it was almost as if they ran straight out of the square and Will stood here wondering what to do next.

"Hey, you okay?"

Will turned and was surprised to see mister coffee himself.

"…Sonny, right? Umm, I'm okay."

"Really, cause you _look_ wet."

"…And a bit scalded…but I'm okay."

Sonny laughed and shook his head, "Why don't you follow me back to the coffee house and I can help you out?"

Will wasn't sure why but he couldn't speak, he just shook his head and followed.

Sonny led Will into his back office. He was finally off of work and heading home when he remembered that he'd left his wallet back at the coffee house, which sucked, it meant that people were going to talk to him, ask him for help, advice, and all he wanted to do was go home and sleep, and if he went back he'd be stuck another hour or two.

Sonny was walking through the square when he heard a loud groan and saw the young father from yesterday, he was alone and Sonny could tell from the bags under his eyes and the slump to his shoulders that he was exhausted. Just then some random man crashed into him, he had a travel mug of coffee and most of it landed on the blonde father, Will, the other man just walked on as if nothing had happened. Sonny was shocked, '_what an asshole,_' he thought. Will looked utterly lost and broken, and Sonny couldn't stand to see him like that…for some reason.

Will now stood in his office looking curiously looking around him and Sonny was far too aware of how messy it looked. His desk was covered in papers, order forms and pay stubs, and a million random things Sonny wasn't sure he needed but hadn't gotten around to actually throwing away. He dug around for the first aid kid and was glad that it was right where he'd left it.

"All right let me take a look at you," Sonny turned to stare at Will who had his eyebrows arched towards his hair line. Sonny gave him a look, _"_don't argue with me Horton."

Will laughed and reluctantly shuffled his feet towards him. He held out one of his arms and Sonny pulled it towards him. It actually looked kind of bad, he gingerly ran his fingers over the raised red flesh, Will hissed and tried to pull his arm away but Sonny held on firmly. He turned and dug around the first aid kit until he found the two things he was looking for, burn ointment and a roll of bandages. He spread the cream around the wound before ghosting lightly over it, Will's arm stiffened but this time he didn't pull away. When Sonny finished he wrapped the arm lightly in bandages and then proceeded to do the same to the other arm.

When Sonny finished he looked up and into Will's blue eyes, they kind of took his breath away.

"Uhh, so…do you want me to take a look underneath you shirt?" Sonny had absolutely no shame. He smiled as Will blushed and thought about.

"You really think it's that bad?" He asked, as if Sonny saying so made it true.

"Well I won't know unless I take a look." No shame, absolutely no shame.

Will looked around, trying to avoid looking into Sonny's eyes and seeing that strange gleam he didn't recognize. Slowly he grabbed the bottom of his shirt and lifted it up to his chest. Sonny stared, '_yeah…that's a nice body.'_

"Does it hurt?" Sonny asked Will as he reached out.

"Not really…"

When Sonny's hand touched he red flesh Will hissed, and pulled away with a look of hurt betrayal on his flesh.

Sonny raised an eyebrow, "You said it didn't hurt," he teased, and Will pouted.

Finally he took a deep breath and spread the burnt ointment over Will's stomach. Sonny did his best to ignore how soft Will's skin was, or the tiny golden hairs that seemed to make his torso glow, or the fact that Will had a fuzzy patch of hair over his pecs.

"I'm, uhh, done," said Sonny and took a step back and away from Will. He dug around on his desk doing his best not to look at Will, Sonny could feel his checks burning and his fingers tingling and wasn't ready to face the reality of what that meant, so instead he read an order form.

They ended up at a table at the back of the café, Sonny wanted to make sure Will wasn't seriously hurt, at least that's what he told Will, though Will was too busy eating a chocolate croissant to actually care.

"So, your daughter said you were moving. Is there anything special that brings you here?" _'Any one special?' _Sonny thought, but instantly put a stop to that train of thought, nothing good ever came from crushing on straight guys, it only ever led into heart ache... Then again it wasn't like looking hurt.

"Not really…Well all my family is here and after what happened with me and Arianna's mother I thought it was best for her to be around family."

"Bad break up huh, I have some experience with those," Sonny wasn't sure why he said that, it wasn't like he wanted Will to know that he was available, it wasn't like Will cared.

"I'm sorry to hear that…"Will had a profoundly sad look on his face, bad break up was the understatement of the year. Will took a deep breath and let those thoughts go, "but things are different now. I'm starting school again, that's what I was doing today, I was at Salem U getting all my paperwork done and signing up for classes, and since its so late I had to go actually talk to all the professors, then I had to go to the elementary school and sign up Arianna, and there are like a million forms they ask for..." Will stopped talking when he realized that he was rambling.

"I go to that school, Salem U…maybe we can be friends,"

Will laughed, "I don't know," he said, making Sonny's heart drop to the pit of his stomach, "I kind of thought we already were." The way his cheeks lit up bright and rosy made Sonny feel like he was floating. Sonny just had to remind himself that as adorable as the man was, he was still straight. But again, he could look couldn't he, and hope, because you never know…right?


	3. Chapter 3

Will lay in bed thinking back on what felt like the longest day of his life, he absently rubbed his bandaged arms as he did, thought of his daughter, how happy she'd been when Will went to go pick her up, it made it all worth it, seeing his mother, the move, the stress, the spent money, none of that seemed as bad when he compared it to the wide smile on his daughters face. He sighed and sunk deeper into his cold bed.

Tomorrow was a weird day, nothing to do yet, school started in one week, for the both of them, and he wasn't sure what to do with his time.

He let his hands roam over his arms, it ignited a deep ache somewhere in the pit of his stomach, and somewhere else further down, made him far too aware that the last time he had sex was when he made Arianna. It had been so long since he allowed himself the pleasure of his own flesh, he brought his hands to his chest and let them roam there, let his fingers trail down his torso, he hissed when he ran over the burns but it didn't stop him, it just made him hotter. Finally he reached his erection, Will felt it through his boxer briefs, he didn't want to, but he pulled himself out, wrapped his fingers firmly around it and stroked. It didn't take long; he used one hand to pull himself to completion while the other explored his body. The light touches of his fingers on his chest and torso filled him with more lust than he could understand for something so simple. He came, cleaned his shame away, and did his best to go to sleep.

The next morning he actually woke up early, before his daughter, who usual rose with the sun. He padded down stairs, bare foot and in his pajamas, and got to work making breakfast for himself and his daughter. He scrambled some eggs and made a nice stack of fluffy pancakes, fried up some bacon and sausage, and set the table, a feast for a king, or in this case, his princess.

They ate breakfast at the only table they had, plates piled high with more food than either of them could eat. Arianna talked about all the things she did with her uncles and aunts, all the things she wanted to do with them, the things they promised to teach her, do with her. Will did his best not to let it show on his face, how glad he was, relieved, that his daughter would have the family he never had..

"Daddy what are we gonna do today?" asked Ari as she stuffed her mouth full of sticky pancakes.

"I don't know, what do you feel like doing Ari?" asked Will as he took a bite of crunchy bacon.

"Can we go to the park?" she asked excited.

"Of course, but first we have to clean up and get changed okay?"

Will was nervous, there were already parents there, older parents, like a lot older. He didn't care if people judged him, he didn't, but sometimes the way they looked at his daughter, like somehow Will was hurting her, it infuriated him. But at the moment he was kneeling in the sand box with his daughter as they attempted to build a sandcastle. Other kids were staring at them, there castle was damn impressive if he said so himself. Arianna was focusing on building high towers out of sand using her bucket and shovel while Will added small details to them using a little water and his fingers.

"Daddy, I think we're done. Can I go on the jungle gym now?" Arianna asked, bright eyed. How could Will say no.

She ran off with a promise to be careful and to be kind to the other kids. Will walked to the edge of the play area and plopped down on a bench to wait. None one seemed to be paying them any particular attention which allowed Will to calm down a bit more. He cast his eye around to watch the other kids, sometimes the older ones tended to be mean to the smaller ones but everyone was especially friendly today, Will would come back to this park of this is how friendly people were going to be.

There were a lot more people here than he thought there would be, people exercising, picnicking, families out enjoying their day. Will kept an eye on his daughter the entire time but also allowed himself time to relax and people watch. His daughter played for half an hour before she ran to him panting. Will sat her next to him and gave her a small water bottle along with a half a sandwich.

"Do you want to go do something else?"

"Yes!" said the little girl dutifully.

"What do you want to do?" asked Will.

"I don't know!" She responded sending them both into a fit of laughter. He decided that they should just go for a walk around town, his daughter needed to get used to her new home and Will needed acclimate to his old town. Hand in hand they set off towards parts unknown.

"I just don't really feel like going out. I have too much work to do, and I'm starting school again soon and…just no," Sonny ignored the way his cousin whined. "I'm not going."

"You're such," Abigail was angry, she just wanted someone to get drunk with her and no one was up for it, "You're such a dick."

"Wow, calm down. I'm just busy."

"I know…I'm sorry."

Sonny hadn't even wanted to hang out with her that day and she knew it. She should have been grateful he was there at all.

"Don't be mad," she said, and honestly, Sonny didn't think he could stay mad. "I'm just bored…and lonely." Abigail looked so sad and Sonny hated seeing her like that, it reminded him so much of himself , it made him wonder if people saw _him_ like that..

He was going to open his mouth to say something when Abigail interrupted him, "Oh my god is that Will Horton?"

Sonny turned and watched as Will walked towards them with his small daughter next to him. She was the first one to notice them, she smiled and waved and Sonny didn't know why but he was a little embarrassed.

"Sonny," Will walked towards him with a smile that rivaled his daughters which reminded Sonny exactly why he was actually blushing.

"Will, Arianna, hey what are you guys doing today?"

"Nothing," said Arianna, "Can we get more hot chocolate?"

"Ari," started Will, voice stern and reproaching, something Sonny had never heard from the young father.

"It's okay," said Sonny, he couldn't really stand Will having to disappoint his daughter. Sonny bent down and looked at Arianna, "Of course we can have hot chocolate." The way Arianna's eyes shone was worth it.

Abigail bounced behind him until she finally couldn't take it, she giggled and launched herself towards Will screaming and hugged him around the neck. Will's eyes were wide with surprise; he stared at Sonny before starting to laugh and hugging Abigail back.

"Will it's been such a long time, when did you get back? Oh my god, is this Arianna? She's so cute," Abigail bent down to hug Arianna and received a fierce hug back. "Oh god, I already love this little one."

Will laughed and Arianna giggled, and the entire time Abigail barraged them with question, she barely gave them enough time to answer before continuing to the next. Sonny stared at Will and when Will caught him looking he wiggled his eyebrows at him, which looked so ridicules it made Sonny laugh, hard, and the entire time Sonny had to remind himself that Will was straight, _'Will is straight, god damn it_!'

They ended up at Sonny's apartment, there was no way he was going into work on his day off. They all shuffled into the apartment, Abigail walked inside as if she was there all the time, which she wasn't, and plopped down onto Sonny's bed which annoyed him to hell, but he wasn't going to argue with her, at least not in front of Will. For their part, Will and Arianna stood at the door unsure of what to do. Sonny hated it, how freaking adorable they were, "Come on you guys, mi casa is su casa."

Will walked forward and Arianna reminded Sonny that he promised her hot chocolate.

"I'm _so _sorry, you know you don't have to," Will whispered as he followed Sonny into the kitchen.

"I know I don't have to Will, I want to, kids are meant to be spoiled." Sonny looked at Arianna and smiled warmly; he turned back to Will and saw something in the other's eyes.

Sonny shook the giddiness away, he boiled a very small amount of water on his stove and waited for it to get superhot before dropping in a chunk of chocolate, mixing in some milk and finally his secret mix of spices, and before everyone's eyes appeared the best tasting hot chocolate in all of Salem. Arianna never stopped talking about all the things she and her father had done that day, Abigail was just as chatty and the two girls went at it as if they were the only ones there.

Will helped Sonny pour the hot chocolate into mugs, he handed one to his daughter but not before bending over and whispering something into the girls ears who shook her head to acknowledge she heard. He handed one to Abigail and the two girls went back to chatting about god knows what.

Will walked shyly back to Sonny who was looking at him with eyebrows raised, "I just wanted to make sure she didn't spill any and stain your couch."

"It's okay," said Sonny and bumped his shoulder against Will's. "So do you want to get together before classes next week? I can show you around, tell you where all the best bathrooms are, you know, the empty ones," Sonny wiggled his own eyebrows and instantly regretted it, it sounded like a proposition, "that came out wrong…"

Will threw his head back and laughed, "well you already got me to undress in front of you," and Will wiggled his eye brows at this.

"Oh lord," said Sonny as his face turned red, "don't be so full of yourself, you're not the only guy in my life."

"I guess not," and Will took a step back and Sonny instantly regretted having said anything.

They left after finishing their hot chocolate, and Sonny was pissed at himself for ruining the day. How had he done that? Was it because he said there were other guys in his life? Was it because he made Will feel unwanted or made him feel inadequate? Maybe, Sonny didn't know, but he knew that he had to fix it because….he was finally ready to admit to himself that he had the biggest crush on Will.

He plopped down on his bed and stared at the clock on his night stand. It was early, he was bored, and it was no one's fault but his own.

His cellphone rang, Sonny didn't recognize the number but answered it anyways, "Hello?"

"Hey Sonny…its Will…Umm…So I was thinking maybe we could hang tomorrow and you could show me around school before it actually starts, that way I won't have to worry about it next week…and Abby gave me your number…by the way." Will sounded so awkward.

Sonny thanked every god in existence and struggled to get out of bed, "Yeah of course we can…It's a date."

Will laughed, "all right see you tomorrow." And the line went dead.

Sonny hooted, _'it was a date', _except not, but it didn't matter, because if Sony couldn't be Will's boyfriend he damn well was going to be his _best friend._


	4. Chapter 4

"…And finally that over there is the main building, all the offices are stacked together all the way up its five floors. Its huge but at least you don't have to walk from one side of the school to the other just to get to a different office." Sonny talked as they walked, Will did his best to remember everything Sonny was telling him and felt completely overwhelmed with the vast amounts of knowledge Sonny was throwing his way.

They'd decided to meet in the morning, at nine, Will woke up early to prepare breakfast for himself and for his daughter before dropping her off at his mother's. He'd agonized over what to wear and ended up going with jeans and a grey t-shirt, which he was glad about considering how hot and sweaty he was. Will was exhausted, the campus was a lot bigger than he thought it would be, and if truth be told he had been a bit nervous about meeting with Sonny. He just wasn't really sure why. The other man made him feel…normal and for some reason that made him nervous, he didn't really want to think about it. Plus his daughter really seemed to like Sonny, which was rare; she usually took some time to warm up to people.

"Hey," Sonny bumped their shoulders together, "you okay?"

"Yeah," Will was so lost in his thought and hadn't noticed Sonny was talking, "I'm just kind of tired now, this campus is huge."

"It is, but you get used to it…why don't we go get something to eat."

"Lead the way Mr. Coffee,"

"Mr. Coffee?"

"…Just…ignore that."

Sonny laughed and led the way to a small café not too far from campus. They sat near the back and ordered food and drinks. They chatted as they waited, about nothing in particular, it was nice, comfortable. Will hadn't been comfortable with someone in so long. It was funny, but Sonny seemed to be someone that made him feel a lot of 'firsts'.

They lapsed into silence as they ate their food. Will was starving and he dug into the sandwich he'd ordered, followed each bite with a handful of fries and didn't look up until he was almost done. Sonny was staring at him, eyebrows arched with a look of awe on his face; Will tried not to laugh with his mouth full of food and failed spectacularly. Sonny smiled wide and laughed, Will wished he knew how not to be so awkward or disgusting.

"You were hungry huh?" asked Sonny.

"Apparently," said Will with a mouth full of food.

They both laughed but continued eating and Will tried hard not to let the burning on his face get to him.

"Sonny!" called a voice as they were finishing up their food and preparing to leave. A man walked towards them, he was tall and boyish but had a firmly built body and very light colored blonde hair.

Sonny seemed embarrassed, he gave Will and apologetic look before responding, "Neil, wow, long time no see."

"Yeah I know, you don't come around the clubs anymore," Neil smiled and then turned his head when he finally noticed Will. He seemed stunned before finally smiling, "I am Neil, a friend of Sonny's," he extended his hand and Will looked at Sonny before shaking it.

"I'm Will," he didn't know what else to do but stare, especially as all Neil did was stare back.

Sonny cleared his voice and stood, "It was nice seeing you," he said, he almost sounded angry to Will. Neil looked at Sonny and smiled wide, there was a twinkle in his eyes that Will had never seen before. Neil leaned in and whispered something into Sonny's ear that actually made Sonny scowl, Neil just laughed.

"Bye Will," he said and again he extended his hand, Will reached out to shake it only to have Neil grip it firmly, "it was nice meeting you." He turned to walk away and then stopped, "I just remembered, Sonny actually promised to go hiking with me on Sunday," Sonny groaned at that, "What you did! I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to join us Will."

Neil waited and watched as Will thought, "Hiking? Is it safe? I mean could I bring my daughter with me?"

"It's not too hard," started Sonny before Neil could get over his confusion, "it's just a little trek up a hill. Other than being exhausted at the end I don't see any reason why Arianna couldn't join us…and I would have invited you _if_ I had remembered, but I hadn't, but now that _Neil,_" and he emphasized the others name to make his anger clear, "reminded me I think it'll be great for you and Ari to join us."

"Well I'd love that. And I'm sure Ari would too."

"All right, see you guys in a few days, oh and call me" Neil handed Will a slip of paper with his number scrawled on it, turned on his heel and walked away leaving the other two boys a bit stunned.

"I'm sorry about him, he…has no self-control," Sonny looked entirely too embarrassed, he stared at the slip of paper Will held in his hand until Will tucked it into his pocket.

Will smiled to break the tension and gripped Sonny's shoulder, "hey it's okay, we all have friends that embarrass us. Unless it's me—"

"No!"

"I know, I was joking," Will smiled.

"You're a terrible person," said Sonny but smiled back.

Sonny was at the coffee shop later that day washing a stack of dishes one of his baristas had so generously left behind for him. Some of the mugs had stains so set he had to scrub them for several minutes before they were finally clean and Sonny swore he would get revenge, cut a few hours off of some ones shift since they obviously didn't want to work. But since he was closing that day his revenge would have to wait, instead he decided to check his supplies before filling in his supply order for the next week. He checked the espresso machines and the coffee grinders and every other mechanical thing before deciding it was all in order.

After that all he had to do was be his usual sunny self, no pun intended, to the customers and his day would be over before he knew it.

"Sonny, I thought I'd find you here," Sonny almost growled when he saw Neil walk through the door, all smiles and sunshine.

"Neil," was the way Sonny responded, he tried hard not to let his annoyance show on his face and wasn't sure if he'd succeeded.

"Who was that guy? My god he was hot. Do you think he liked me?" Neil sat at the bar in front of Sonny and waited for him to respond, he smiled with a look so hopeful Sonny couldn't wait to burst his bubble.

"No Neil, I don't think he liked you. He's straight and has a daughter."

"Well something like that has never stopped me. You know those married types are always looking for something on the side."

"Will isn't like that," Sonny couldn't believe what Neil was suggesting, "he would never cheat on someone just for a side of strange ass."

Neil looked at Sonny a bit shocked by his response, "I wasn't trying to—"

"Look Neil, Will is my friend, so whatever you're planning on doing, don't, and don't think you can insult him like that"

"I didn't mean anything by it…I was just joking Sonny I'm sorry…" Neil cast his eyes down and frowned, he looked like a kicked puppy.

And Sonny felt like an asshole. So maybe he let his crush on Will completely cloud the way he felt about Neil, and by maybe he meant definitely. He didn't like someone else putting the moves on his man…friend, his friend, Sonny groaned.

"It's okay Neil, I didn't mean to be so, well, mean. It's just…I haven't know Will for that long, and while he hasn't talked about it, I can tell that something horrible happened to him and I….I just have this need to protect him…" Sonny felt like he said too much, but Neil just shook his head.

"I get it," he laughed then, "but he's still damn cute."

Sonny rolled his eyes and tossed his wet rag at Neil's head, it's inevitable wet slap against Neil's face had him laughing and dodging as Neil tried to throw it back.

Sonny woke up early Sunday morning; the sun had barely kissed the horizon making it look white against the blackness of the sky above. Sonny made a stack of sandwiches so big they barely fit in the cooler he had and tried not to let the eerie silence of the morning creep him out. He tossed a bunch of water bottles in a backpack and anything else he could find that they might need, sunscreen, first aid kit, flashlight, and other things. It was too much but he didn't care, he tossed it all in his car and went to get Neil first.

He called three times before Neil finally answered his cell, he grumbled something over the phone that Sonny didn't understand and still took another ten minutes to leave his house. When he did he looked like all he did was roll out of bed and brush his teeth. But he had a thermos filled with black coffee and Sonny was more than grateful.

When they went for Will the sky above was already beginning to lighten and turn from a deep black to a glowing white. Sonny was surprised to see that Will and Arianna were already outside waiting. When Arianna saw his car she started to wave furiously. Sonny pulled over and helped Will put all his bags in the trunk before strapping Arianna into her seat in the back.

Neil drove from there, he was the only one who knew the way and didn't know how to give good directions. Sonny was glad because it meant he could talk to Will and Ari.

"She made us wait outside. She was so excited to go and didn't want you to miss us or something. I told her you wouldn't but she didn't believe me." Will laughed and gave his daughter's hair a tussle which she clearly hated but allowed.

"So are you exited Ari?" asked Sonny.

"Yes, I can't wait. I've never been hiking; we never had the chance before. Do you think we'll see animals like bears and tigers and elephants?"

"Well maybe not those," said Sonny while staring at Will whose face was turning red as he attempted not to laugh, "more like squirrels…some bugs…but mostly squirrels."

Will did laugh at this, "Ari there aren't really any animals here, at least not any we actually want to see, those can be dangerous…But we might see a squirrel or a bunny."

"I want to see a bear or a mountain lion!"

All four of them laughed as Neil sped down the highway towards a local mountain range.

Even with Neil almost killing them twice, and speeding as fast as he possibly could without getting stopped by the police, it still took them three hours to get there. They chatted as they drove and ate the snacks Will had brought with him for the trip, goldfish crackers and animal crackers all mixed into one bag because his daughter liked the mix of salty and sweet.

Neil couldn't eat it without making a face, which made Will laugh, much to Sonny's annoyance, but he didn't let it get to him,

"Shouldn't you be watching the road?" He said to Neil. No, he didn't let it get to him at all.

But nothing was better than when they actually arrived. Neil parked Sonny's car at the local Mountain Ranger station/Museum/Gift Store and they all started to load their backpacks with things they thought they might need from the car. Arianna was running around like a maniac ready and urging the three of them on as fast as she could. Will sent them both apologetic looks that Sonny brushed off.

After letting Arianna use the bathroom in the gift shop, and Will promising to buy her something on the way back, they were off and out onto the hiking trails.

Arianna ran ahead and Will had to keep a firm grasp of her hand to prevent her from running into the woods and disappearing forever. Arianna asked a lot of questions as they walked and when she got tired of holding Will's hands she was allowed to run ahead as long as Neil staid with her, Sonny's idea of course. Which left him and Will at the back of their group as they slowly marched upwards, up the mountain side.

"Once we reach the top there's a small picnic area that has a view of the whole valley. We can stop there eat and rest before starting our trek back down."

"That sounds great…umm Sonny," Will grabbed his arm, tugged on him until he stopped walking, "I just wanted to thank you for inviting me and Arianna, she was _so_ happy I told her about this trip and wouldn't stop talking about it all week and I….I never thought I would—I always knew that coming back was best for Arianna and I'm just glad I met you, you make me feel like I'm not entirely alone in all this," Sonny was stunned, he couldn't speak or do anything other than stare wide eyed at Will. "I didn't meant to make this awkward…We should—" Will began to walk forward towards the shrinking shapes of Ari and Neil.

This time it was Sonny's turn to stop Will, "before you and Ari burst into my life I was kind of going through a huge funk I thought would never end, you and Ari have brought…the light back into my life…" Sonny stared at Will who looked a bit constipated before he finally burst into raucous laughter.

"That was the cheesiest thing I've ever heard," said Will through gasps of air.

"Thanks Will. I'm trying to have a moment here!" Sonny was seriously insulted that Will had laughed, but the look of complete cheer and happiness on Will's face more than made up for it.

Will pushed Sonny and ran, "Whoever gets back to Ari last has to carry her for an hour!"

"Will you bastard!" Sonny ran and tried to catch up to the still laughing Will who ran faster than Sonny could keep up with. He saw Will disappear over a hill and ran as fast as he could to catch up. When he finally made it to the top Arianna was waiting and ready for him, she held her hands up and Sonny couldn't help but smile as he bent over and allowed her onto his back.

They walked like that for an hour, passing Arianna from man to man until they finally reached the top of the hill. The picnic area was a row of cement tables shaded by a wooden canopy, which was great since it was hot and all three men and the little women were exhausted and overheated.

Sonny unpacked his sandwiches and passed them around, Will pulled out more food, smaller little snacks he'd brought with him and Neil passed out bottles of water. They ate and chatted and Ari wanted to know when they would see the mountain lions. It was nice; Sonny closed his eyes and enjoyed the peace and quiet of nature around them. Will chatted with his daughter while Neil did his best to keep up with them.

Sonny wondered what it was like for Will and his daughter, in the morning, he thought it was a lot like that very moment, peaceful and beautiful in such a natural way, father and daughter, like some amazing still-life done in soft pastels. Sonny wondered if he'd ever be part of something like that, he realized at that moment that he was jealous of Will, of the life he had with his daughter, to Sonny it was almost perfect. He hadn't known he wanted something like that, so desperately it actually made him sick. He wondered if Will would allow him to be part of his family, and was shocked when he thought that maybe that moment was exactly what that was. He opened his eyes and looked at Will and found the boy was staring at him, he arched an eyebrow and Sonny couldn't help just smiling. Will smiled back.

The hiking trail that led back to the car twisted upward for a mile before twisting around back on itself and then heading down hill. It was a long trek but they were almost at the end, Arianna ran ahead and the three men did their best to keep up with the little girl. Finally they reached the point in the trail where it twisted back before heading down hill. But before they could head back they had to cross a rope bridge, it hung above a shallow valley between two hills. It wasn't too high, and the bridge was almost impossible to fall off of, the ropes were twisted together making a thick rail people could hold onto.

When Arianna saw it she whooped and ran ahead, Sonny would have laughed if Will hadn't yelled her name. Neil ran ahead to catch up with her and Sonny walked faster to catch up…and then he stopped and turned. Will was still standing at the other end, his face was blank and pale.

"Will," Sonny walked back to Will who actually took a step back away from him. "What's wrong?" Sonny didn't know what Will was doing and it was making him worry.

"I…I can't cross that," Will shook his head and took one more step back.

"It's safe, come on," Sonny grabbed Will's hand and pulled him slightly only to have that hand wrenched out of his grasp so hard it almost hurt.

Will looked like he was going to be sick.

"Hey it's okay,"

"Sonny I can't I'm so sorry I just can't, I can't,"

"Yes you can. Come on man you're the bravest person I know,"

"That's not true, you don't know that," Will shook his head and remained rotted to the spot.

"Yes I do, I see it every day, just take my hand and I'll help you." Sonny held his hand out and waited, he watched the internal battle Will had with himself until he finally placed his hand in Sonny's.

Sonny took a step backwards and Will took one small step forward. It worked until Will's feet touched the wooden bridge and he stopped dead.

"Look me in the eyes and just put your feet where my feet are," said Sonny as he led Will further onto the bridge. Sonny couldn't help noticing how badly Will trembled, the goose bumps that sprouted on his arm and the sweat that seemed to pour across his face. Will was terrified and Sonny had no idea what to do, but he stared straight into his eyes and did his best to infuse him with as much courage as Sonny knew he had.

The bridge swayed lightly with the breeze and their footsteps, Will's grip on his arms became almost unbearably painful. Will's eyes began to stray down, "Hey, up here, look in my eyes man we're almost there." Sonny did his best to encourage Will, the bridge wasn't that long but even to him in that moment it felt like forever.

Until the back of his foot met something hard, then he was falling, he felt as Will was yanked with him, they both gasped loudly, a shout maybe trapped in each other's throats. Sonny hit the ground hard and Will crashed straight on top of him panting. Sonny groaned as he tried to roll off the rocks beneath him, Will rolled off of him and lay beside him unmoving. Together they stared up at the sky stunned by what they had both just experienced.

"What are you guys doing?" asked Neil who appeared suddenly above them.

"Hi, daddy," said Arianna standing above Will, looking down at her father who burst out into a fit of hysteric laughter.

The walk down was a quite one. Will didn't talk much, he just carried Arianna and walked with a dead look on his face that neither Sonny nor Neil could remove, Neil kept giving him looks but Sonny had no idea what Neil wanted him to do about it. So they walked in silence and before long they reached the gift shop and their car.

Arianna and Will disappeared inside and emerged with a t shirt and some postcards.

"Can you guys watch Arianna while I go use the restroom?" Will handed Arianna to Neil and didn't wait for him to reply he just turned and quickly walked to the bathroom.

"You should go check on him," said Arianna as she stared straight into Sonny's eyes.

"Me?" he asked and Arianna and Neil both laughed.

"Yes silly! Daddy doesn't like heights, they make him sick."

Sonny wasn't sure what to do for a minute before shrugging and going to look for Will.

The bathrooms were strangely dark, the only light coming from a single dull light bulb that hung from the ceiling on a thin little wire. He didn't need the light though, he could hear Will in one of the stalls, he was gagging and coughing.

"Will, are you okay?" He asked as he pushed the door of the stall open. Will stood above the toilet bent over slightly as he wretched.

"Don't," said Will and turned quickly as he gagged again, "don't look at me."

Sonny touched Will's back and then slowly rubbed the clenched muscles there. Will's body tightened against his touch before it finally relaxed, Will breathed deeply and Sonny waited until he thought maybe Will's nausea had subsided.

"You okay," asked Sonny as he continued to rub Will's back.

"Yeah…I'm okay now." Will sighed loudly and tried to regain control of his body. "I'm sorry—"

"Don't apologize, please, if anyone is sorry it should be me—"

"There was no way for you to know that I…I'm afraid of heights, I should have said something but...I didn't want you to think I was a coward..."

"Will," Sonny couldn't believe the boy,

"I know it's dumb…" Neither of them knew what to say but Sonny squeezed Will's shoulder to reassure the boy that everything was okay.

"I fell, from the fourth story of a building. I was always kind of afraid of heights but after that…"

Sonny was stunned for a second, "Come on," said Will as he turned and walked out of the stall, "let's go home."

Sonny sat in the backseat and tried not to breathe too hard, or move, or talk, or anything really, he wanted the moment to last forever. Will's head rested against his shoulder where it had fallen when the boy fell asleep. His daughter was leaning against him also asleep, Sonny smiled as he felt the tiny puff of Will's breath against his neck. Outside the world passed by in a dark blur, the sun had long since set and they were finally back in town but Sonny wished the ride would keep going just so that the moment would stretch on for eternity.

Sonny looked up and was surprised when he locked eyes with Neil in the rear view mirror.

"You should have told me," he said.

"Told you what?"

"That you were in love with him."

Sonny was going to deny it, but Neil rolled his eyes, "I should have known, the way you acted…"

Neil pulled the car over in front of his apartment building and got out, he popped the trunk and rummaged around until he got all his stuff together. As he did Sonny shimmed out from under Will and made sure not to wake either of the two up. He got out of the car and into the cold night air, Neil gave him one last knowing look and a smile before disappearing into his apartment building. Sonny sighed before sliding into the driver's seat.

It wasn't a long ride, once there he parked his car in front of the small house and turned in his seat. Arianna was almost lying completely in Will's lap; the young father had his arms around his daughter and was hunched over her protectively, his head hanging limply to the side that Sonny had once occupied. Sonny reached out and gently shook Will's leg and called his name.

Will opened his eyes and stretched, he started to unbuckle himself and Sonny decided to get the stuff out of the trunk. Will emerged from the car with his young daughter in his arms, he led the way to the front door in a zombie like shuffle. He struggled with his keys for a bit before finally opening the door, "Come in," he said to Sonny and disappeared into his house.

Sonny walked into the front door and stopped. The living room was empty a vast expanse of polished wooden floors, until they hit a table and led into the kitchen that actually looked lived in. he dropped the bags in the empty space and made sure to lock the front door before following after Will. Up the stairs and into the small hallway, he could hear Will in his daughters room before he finally came out and gently shut the door. He sighed and smiled at Sonny and for reason neither of them understood they both blushed.

"I should get going…" reluctantly said Sonny. Will looked like he wanted to say something but Sonny thought it was best he fled before _he _did anything inappropriate. He stopped when Will gripped his upper arm, he turned and was surprised to find Will so close.

"You should just stay, it's late…" Sonny didn't speak when Will tugged on his arm and led him into his bedroom. Sonny couldn't see much in the dark, just the giant bed that dominated the space. "I would let you sleep on the couch if it made you more comfortable…but I don't have one, so…we'll share."

Will pulled the covers back and then began to lift the shirt off and over his head, he let it fall to the ground without a care and then began undoing his belt and unbuckling his pants, he stopped and looked at Sonny who was unabashedly staring, "are you going to sleep in your clothes?"

Sonny stood there for some time before making up his mind. He lifted his shirt off over his head and let it fall on the floor along with Will's; he slid out of his pants and climbed into the giant bed and pulled the covers over himself. He turned to find Will lying on his side, he smiled wide when Sonny turned and they both burst into nervous laughter.

"This is a lot more awkward than I thought it was going to be," said Will in a soft whisper.

Sonny snorted, "Kind of…"

They both lapsed into silence, turned their backs to each other and before Sonny knew it Will was snoring quietly across from him. He resisted the urge but finally turned to stare at Will's bare back. He wanted to touch, and so he did, he ran his fingers lightly down the line of Will's back and when he was done he couldn't believe how creepy he was being. He sighed and lay on his back and stared up at the bare white ceiling. It came as a surprise when he felt the tug of sleep against his eyes. He turned on his side and sighed, Sonny felt the overwhelming sense of heat as it wrapped around his body. He fell asleep.


End file.
